On Aztec Terraces

How did people grow their food long ago? Discover how much (or how little) farming has changed with a realistic diorama.

• 1.

  Find out about early farming methods such as terraces, fertilization, crop rotation, and irrigation. What agricultural practices were used in different areas? Which are still used today? Make a diorama showing one or more of these methods. Here’s how we made our sample of Aztec terraces.

• 2.

  <STRONG>Set the scene</STRONG>. Line the inside of the box with white paper. With Crayola® Markers, decorate the inside of a box to look like terrain in the area you are showing. Draw mountains, lakes, or other features.

• 3.

  Fold construction paper into stairstep terrace cornfields. Attach terraces to the box with Crayola School Glue. Air-dry terraces.

• 4.

  <STRONG>Add details</STRONG>. Cut corn stalks and ears from construction paper with Crayola Scissors. Glue on toothpicks. Air-dry before poking toothpicks into paper layers. Mold any extra people or landscaping with Crayola Model Magic. Air-dry sculptures overnight before gluing them into the scene.

Benefits

• Children research the origins and benefits of early farming practices such as terraces, fertilizers, crop rotation, and irrigation.
• Students find out which crops were grown with these methods and where they were introduced and used.
• Students create a realistic diorama showing the terrain, crops, and methods used to grow the crop.

Adaptations

• Create a tabletop display to contrast past and present farming practices.
• Collect and display seeds from various crops. On a map, indicate the area in which they were first grown and the names of the indigenous people.
• Find out about crops indigenous to your area. Who first grew them? What crops have been imported?
• Assessment: Describe the diorama’s location, farming practices, and crops grown to classmates. How accurate and interesting is the presentation?